Book Chat

Poor Skeleton has the hiccups, and they just won't go away. His friend Ghost tries to help him get rid of his hiccups using conventional methods, but a spoonful of sugar and a glass of water simply don't work for a skeleton. Finally, Ghost thinks of a smart way to get rid of those hiccups once and for all. This picture book has simple text that makes it a good read for young children, and anyone who has ever had the hiccups will sympathize with Skeleton's plight and laugh at the answer to ridding them!

This picture book has just the right amount of suspense and spook for the youngest readers. Sammy the Skeleton can't wait to go trick-or-treating, but first he must deliver hot soup to his grandma, which means he has to walk through the woods on his own. Just like anyone who has ever walked through the dark on his own, Sammy's imagination is bigger than reality EXCEPT when footsteps start following him through the woods. The footsteps don't go away, they can't be explained by wind or a creaking tree, and they are getting closer and closer. What or who is following Sammy? Kids will enjoy the build-up in this spooky but fun skeleton tale.

Bone DogAuthor: Eric RohmannPublisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2011

Young Gus's favorite and best dog Ella passes on, but before she does, she makes this promise: no matter what she will always be with him. And since she makes that wish under a full moon, it cannot be broken. Time goes on and Gus must learn to live without Ella. On Halloween night, even though he can't imagine trick-or-treating without Ella, he makes himself go. At the end of the night, on his way home, he ends up in a dark graveyard. The skeletons come out of their graves to tease and scare Gus. Just when things seem like they might go wrong, Ella, who is now a bone dog, appears to help. The ending, I must leave to surprise, but Ella has a surefire way to scare the skeletons away once and for all. Award-winning Rohmann uses his colorful illustrations to unfold the surprise ending—one that will leave readers laughing at Ella's ingenuity and the one thing that will really scare skeletons. It's not what you think!

Welcome to HorrorLand, where everyone can take a little horror home with them. In this series, kids visit the vast HorrorLand theme park where everything is frightening and scary. It's possibly the "scariest place on earth." Most of it is just in good fun, but there is always a little edge to the fun as if it there might be something more to it. Characters in the second arc (books 13-19) of the HorrorLand series all find their way to Chiller House, Jonathan Chiller's souvenir shop within HorrorLand. The kids make a purchase that will change their lives forever. When they choose their items, creepy Jonathan Chiller attaches a "little horror" (a small figurine) to their package and tells the kids that they can pay him back later. This simple statement proves to be more chilling than any of the kids could ever imagine. At the end of each book, the kids are unwillingly summoned back to Chiller House. How will they have to pay back Jonathan Chiller, and who is the mastermind behind it all? You will have to read all the way to book #19 before you find out!

Are you in need of a good scare? Then try this book. It all begins in the past with William, the owner of William’s Mask Emporium. His brother Randolph visits his shop with evil intentions, trying to get William to buy some of his masks, haunted masks. He gets angry that William doesn’t want any of his masks and tugs the mask on William’s face. To William’s horror the mask forms to his face and will not come off; it’s almost as if it became a living breathing thing of its own. William claws at the mask and pulls it off along with his face. With his last dying breath he decides that he will protect the people from the masks by becoming a ghost in the attic. Now, fast forward 40 years. Lu-Ann is not looking forward to Polly’s Halloween party. They are always major lame-o. She and her friends are trying to find a way to scare everyone. Well, they find it alright when Lu-Ann accidentally finds the haunted mask in the attic and pulls it on her face only to find out that the mask will not come off and now the horrifying mask is her actual face. To get the mask off, she must perform an act of unbelievable kindness. The only problem is Lu-Ann is finding it hard to fight the evil that is inside her. Will she be stuck with the mask forever? It takes a haunted pumpkin patch and a very good friend to help her out.

Expert Chat

Listen in as Emily chats with the master of chills, frights, and spookiness: R.L. Stine. R.L. Stine will talk about his newest book Wanted: The Haunted Mask and how he is able to keep finding new ways to frighten kids!